


5 Wishes

by No_this_is_not_a_good_username



Category: Twilight Zone
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-31
Updated: 2020-07-31
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:40:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,729
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25633726
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/No_this_is_not_a_good_username/pseuds/No_this_is_not_a_good_username
Summary: Sarah Flemming finds a mysterious item on a stroll through a park
Comments: 1
Kudos: 1





	5 Wishes

Scene Setting: Park

Sarah trudged through the park, kicking rocks along the way, and contemplating her day at school. It was the same old: do your work, don't get in trouble, and move on sort of day. Many interactions.....very few friends....even less understanding. She yearned for something...more.

She was deep in thought, thinking of what her 'more' was, when all of a sudden her foot caught something more substantial than a rock. It did not give way, and instead caused her to fall flat to the pavement. She looked over her shoulder and noted that what she tripped on had been a brick, loosened due to the shifting of the moisture filled soiled in this winter time as it cooled, and then completely removed from its placement by her foot. 

She stood back up, grabbed the brick, and went to put it back in the place it came from. She leaned down to put the brick back, but stopped short when something caught her eye. Peeking out of the soil, underneath where the brick had laid was a lamp. Contradictory to the cold winter air, the lamp had an aura of heat that was generally unsettling, so Sarah did what any other normal 16 year old would do. She took the extra sweatshirt out of her backpack, wrapped the lamp in it, placed the sweatshirt-wrapped lamp in her bag, placed the brick back in its' hole, and continued home.

(Break Scene)

Scene Setting: Sarah's Bedroom

Sarah had just finished eating her supper, and retreated to her room. The first thing that she did when she got there, was ramble through her backpack in search of the lamp. Her plan was to paint it and then use it for something artsy such as a decorative flower pot. However, to do that she needed to first clean the dirt off of it, as the lamp had been buried in soil. 

She soaked a cloth in some cleaning solution and started rubbing. Then, her plans changed....

"Fuck!", said Sarah, startled by the presence of green smoke filling her room.

"What's going on...is everything alright?", inquired Sarah's mother, Susan. She was downstairs at the time, but was alarmed by her daughter's use of colorful language. 

Sarah turned back towards the door and replied, "Everything's fine, mother. I just stubbed my toe."

"Good to know sweetheart! Just be more careful next time. Also, next time try to use a more PG term. You know that your 5 year old brother is a couple rooms down, and despite him feigning sleep, is most likely looking up what that word means on his tablet.", Susan said.

"Duly noted", Sarah replied. Then, she turned back around only to be shocked into silence momentarily.

Once she recovered, she addressed the elephant in the room, or should I say genie.

"Um...hi....who are you?"

The genie replied, "You may call me S, and I am here to grant you 5 wishes."

"Seriously!?!...You are here........to grant....... me.....OMG! This is so exciting! Are there any rules or limitations I should know? Or may, I just get down to the wishing part?", squealed Sarah.

S began, "There is only one rule: You can have 5 wishes, but you cannot have more, so don't ask for more wishes as a wish. Besides that, the only important thing to bring up is to be very careful about the intent of your question. I am not some sort of Genie, of who, you will ask for a million bucks, and from who you will receive a million deer. I have an inherent magic that is able to read your mind's intent, and prevent such excessive duplicity. However, if your mind isn't 100% clear in intent, and your words do not make up for the lack of it, then do not blame me for any shortcomings associated with a wish."

"Well for starters, then, can my first wish be to erase both my brother's mind solely of the F word I just used, any search histories he performed because of it on his tablet, as well as any knowledge from his brain that he may have learned from those searches. I'd totally, rather not be punished for him asking any dumb questions of my parent's because of that."

"Done", proclaimed S, "You now have only 4 more wishes."

"Thanks, S!", exclaimed Sarah.

S inquired, "Is there anything else you would like to wish for tonight?"

"Nope, I'm going to sleep on it. If I figure out anything else, then I'll let you know, and in the meantime make yourself at home."

(Break Scene)

Scene Setting: School

"Wow, she's such a freak!", "Loser", and many other words followed Sarah down the hallway. The kids at schools had never really liked her growing up. She had always been an individual with far too many cons, not enough pros, and ever unceasing amount of complexity through contradicting traits. She was both too intelligant and ignorant, too insecure and too "not give a damny", too bossy and not bossy enough. The list goes on, and everyone knew it too. 

It was about time she had some friends, and if no one would be her friend, then she would make them be.

She knew her second wish.

(Break Scene)

Scene Setting: Sarah's Room, 7 PM, Thursday

"S, I know my second wish...... I would like a Billion Dollars."

"May I ask why?", inquired S.

"Well, I got tired of having no friends at school......", started Sarah before S interjected.

"Why don't you just ask for friends then?", S said.

"I though about it. Believe me, I did. But then I realized that if I asked for the money, I would have both friends and money, not just friends. Hence, I want the money.", Sarah elaborated, as if her answer was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Okay, okay...Your wish is my command. Head to the park at 5 am before school tomorrow, the one in which you found my lamp, and when you get there look for the Old Oak Tree. Near it will be a blue trash can. Inside the can, will be a backpack with your billion dollars in it. So mote it be."

"Thanks, S! Good night!"

"You're going to bed now?", said S, shocked.

"Well, duh, I have to get up early tomorrow."

(Break Scene)

Also, please ignore the fact that a billion dollars would not fit in a single backpack.

New Scene Setting: School, following Friday (week after receiving a Billion Dollars)

"Wow, Sarah, your the best!", "Sarah", "Sarah", "Sarah"

The halls were now her own personal parade. She could not turn a corner without hearing her name. After years of being ignored, or being noticed for her flaws, she was finally appreciated....even if for, superfluous reasons.

Of course, she was partially to blame for this. She flaunted her newly found wealth. Bought cars. Bought experiences. Bought fame. However, it all felt very hollow. She wanted to get to know someone who genuinely wanted her.

It was at that point she knew her third wish.

(Break Scene)

Scene Setting: Sarah's Room, later that night

"Yo, S, I have another wish for you" remarked Sarah.

"What do you require?"

Sarah disgruntedly stated, "I am in need of a boyfriend. Someone who will genuinely want me for me, and dis similarly from all the 'friends' I've made at school, not my purse."

"Your wish is my command. You will find this man where you least expect him, he will be driving a red truck and have black hair.", declared S.

"That's it...? What about his name, other features, .....and like....where, when, and how I'll find him? Aren't you going to tell me anything about that?"

"No. He'll find you. And as for name and appearance, you won't care.", S elaborated.

"That's true, very true. It seems we are starting to get to know one another S."

(Break Scene)

Scene Setting: Park, the next day

"Mom, dad, I'm heading to the park to go for a run. Ya'll are welcome to start eating breakfast without me.", said Sarah, right before she shut the door, and made her way to the park.

She arrived at the park, and started to do a slow jog, which allowed her to pick what song she wanted to listen to on her MP3 player. Currently, it was "Win Again" by Nicki Minaj. 

She took off in a sprint, when all of a sudden she was startled by someone passing her on her left. The startlement, caused her to loose her footing, she stumbled to her left, and they both fell.

Sarah was the first to recover. "Are you okay?", she asked.

"Oh yes, I am perfectly fine. My name is Jesus.", Jesus said.

"I'm Sarah", Sarah stated.

"Do you live around here Sarah? My family recently moved here, and I am trying to get the vibe of the area?", inquired Jesus.

"Oh yeah. I've lived here almost all of my life. The area's okay, but I don't plan on staying here after high school to go to college. I go to Freemont High by the way....Sophomore", rambled Sarah.

"Freemont High? That's where my family is sending me, so I guess you'll see me around. We most likely won't be in the same classes, though, because I'll be a Junior.", replied Jesus.

"That's great! I guess I will! Are you heading this way?", asked Sarah

"Actually, my house is in that direction...but, I'll see you on Monday at school.", said Jesus

"See you then!"

They both ran their separate ways.

(Break Scene)

Scene Setting: End of School Day, Monday Morning

"Hey Sarah, wait up.....", yelled Jesus. He sprinted to catch up to her, and then continued. "I know you said earlier that you usually walk home through the park, but I figured I have a vehicle, so I could give you a lift? If you want to, of course?"

"I'd love that", Sarah replied.

Sarah followed Jesus out to his vehicle that happened to be a red truck.

(Break Scene)

Scene Setting: Two Friday's After, At School, Last Period Class

It was the 14 day anniversary of Sarah meeting Jesus, and the 8 day anniversary of their relationship as boyfriend and girlfriend. To Sarah, Jesus was everything she had ever wished for. He was attentive to take care of her, and genuinely wanted to know her. He made sure to ask about her quirks, her home life, and anything else she might care about. He never asked about the money though. Sarah always responded in kind.

She was staring into space thinking about him and his black hair, as she sat in her last class of the day, Physics.

Her Physics teacher, Mrs. Buckman, snapped her out of her daze by informing her that she had been called up to the principal's office. 

She made the trek up to the office, and the first thing Sarah saw when she got there was two men wearing dark suits and glasses. One of them was also carrying a file.

Principal Mathers came out and explained to Sarah, that she wasn't in trouble, but that the two men from the government needed to speak with her. He went on to say that the conversation required some privacy, so they would be set up in one of the spare offices available, and that if she needed anything from anyone, then all she had to do was ask.

Sarah followed the two strangers into the office, and was asked to be seated.

The first suited man started speaking. He asked her about some purchases, and whether they had been made by her.

All of the purchases mentioned were the ones she remembered she made when she was trying to 'buy' her friends. Therefore, she replied with the affirmative, "Yes".

She was shook; however, by the words that followed.

"We're you aware that the bills you used to make those purchases were stolen? We're you?!" the first man sternly interrogated.

"No, sir", Sarah replied meekly.

The second suited man spoke. "Richard, I think you are being too harsh. She obviously doesn't know anything. We do need to tell her about the relevant threats, though."

"Threats!?!", proclaimed Sarah.

The first man, Richard, rolled his eyes and rubbed his temples in annoyance. Then, he left the room to blow off some steam and get some coffee.

The second suited man spoke again. "I'll start off by saying that my name is Devon. Before I tell you about the threats, I need to know if you know any of these men."

Four pictures were removed from the file and spanned out in front of her. On each picture was a man that she did not recognize......until she got to the last one.

"That one, right there, it's my boyfriend Jesus. I'd recognize his black hair and smile anywhere.", Sarah proclaimed.

Devon sighed. "Yes, Jesus Ricardo, son of the famous Cartel drug lord Armando Ricardo. Your money.....the money that was stolen....it belonged to them. And, they want it back."

Sarah interjected, "That's impossible. Jesus is super sweet. He is the first person that has genuinely wanted to get to know me."

Devon sighed again. "Yes, I have no doubt he did. We at the government, had gotten intel that his family had moved up here recently, no doubt looking for their money. They have similar tools to us, so I guess that they knew you had it. His...Jesus's....getting close to you was probably part of a reconnaissance mission to learn information necessary to retrieve what's left of the money."

Sarah objected, "You're lying. I don't have to listen to any of this."

Devon replied, "No, you don't. However, I encourage you to proceed with caution.", as Sarah walked towards the office door. "Wait!", he implored as Sarah grabbed the door know, "One more thing. Really quick. Before Richard comes back. Not only was the money the Cartel's, but the exchange of it was part of a deal between the government and the Cartel in exchange for some undisclosed circumstances to occur. The government blames you, Richard included, just as much as the Cartel does, and they think you know too much and must be eliminated. Trust no one."

Sarah opened the door to leave, and stood face to face with Richard. 

"Where are you going?", Richard asked.

At that moment, the last bell of the day rang, releasing students for the weekend. Sarah strode past him and said "Home".

(Break Scene)

Scene Setting: Sarah's Room, Later that Day

"S.....S.... I need some help!", proclaimed Sarah in a worried manner.

"What's wrong Sarah?", said S.

Sarah filled S in on all of what she had learned from Richard and Devon earlier that same day. 

"So let me get this straight. The money was stolen from the Cartel, your boyfriend was using you, and now both the Government and the Cartel want you and potentially your family taken out.", summarized S.

"That's exactly right. It seems like all my wishes have gone pants up despite my best efforts at controlling the intent and wording.", Sarah said.

"Well, maybe you should focus on using your last two wishes to fix the situation. Be very careful with the intent and wording and everything should be fine.", replied S is a resolute manner.

"Hey S, would you do me a favor?"

"Sure, Sarah.", S replied.

"I have an idea for my last two wishes. Would you mind me running them by you? If they are both okay, and you think that they would help the situation sufficiently, then I'll officially ask those two wishes. Otherwise, you can give me some guidance on how to word them to make them better."

Sarah walked over to S and whispered her two wishes into his ear. As she spoke, S's smile grew larger and larger, when she finished speaking, he gave her his feedback.

With a nod of his head, S said, "I think that will work....so, anytime you are ready."

Sarah took a deep breath and began. 

"I wish....."

Then, everything went dark.

(Break Scene)

Setting: Sarah's Neighborhood, 2 days later

This is Reporter Texas Star, coming to you live from the White Oaks Neighborhood in the city of Freemont. Behind me you can see the scene of the grisly crime that took place last night. 

Cindy Collins, the next-door neighbor of the deceased, came to the door of 113 White Oak Lane to deliver some mail that had been mistakenly placed in her box of 114 White Oak Lane. She knocked on the door, only to realize it was ajar. She announced her entrance, only to be met with silence, followed by the most gruesome scene. 

In the living room were the bodies of 52 year old Susan Flemming, 56 year old Herold Flemming, and 5 year old Derrick Flemming. They had all been shot execution style in the head, but it seemed not without putting a fight. The daughter, 16 year old Sarah Flemming, was nowhere to be found. Police think that she may have been kidnapped by the perpetrators.

After following a blood trail, left outside the premises as a result of the scuffle the family put up prior to their deaths, the police were able to identify the perpetrators. Currently, there are four individuals in custody, all in connection with the Cartel.

The police have been interrogating the individuals to determine the whereabouts of Sarah Flemming, but they claim to have had no role in her disappearance, as she was not there the night they came. The individuals; however, have made a claim of grandeur with regards to the attacks and they go as follows.

Jesus stated, "We were never supposed to kill them, but it was like some magic came over us, and told us to.

Leonardo, one of the remaining three perpetrators, said, " The only reason we attacked them at all is that they had money, our money, money we received from the government in exchange for past and future services provided."

Freemont News Reporters have reached out to our sources in the Government, but they gave no comment.

Right now, we will be going to commercial, but we will be back in a few minutes to speak to someone who claimed to know Sarah Flemming and who sincerely wishes for her return.

(Break Scene)

Setting: Sarah's Neighborhood, A few minutes later after commercial

"Welcome back....... Again, my name is Texas Star, and with me I have Seth Robertson, a friend of Sarah's.", said Mr. Star

"Please, call me S, it is what my friends call me."

"Okay....S.....How long did you know Sarah Flemming?", said Mr. Star

"Sarah and I met a few weeks ago, but it was an instant connection when we did."

"You say you only knew the girl for a few weeks, and yet, you were best friends?", said Mr. Star.

"Yes, sir. Sarah never really got close to anyone, but we shared a lot. We were close, so close in fact, that it was almost as if we had lived under the same roof together. She always said that we were getting to know one another."

"If you were so close", Mr. Star interjected, "do you think she's alive?"

"Perhaps......", replied S.

"Why do you say perhaps?"

"Well, sir. I mentioned that Sarah never really got close to anyone but me......She confided in me, that she was always looking for something more."

"Something more.....how so?", Mr. Star said, genuinely curious.

"I don't know sir, I really don't. I don't think Sarah even knew. If by any chance she is alive, then that is where she is, looking for her 'more'. If she isn't, then I hope she found it at the Golden Gates."

"Thank you for your commentary S. You are free to go. I wish you the best of luck in the future, and hope that if Sarah's alive, that you find your friend again."

(Break Scene)

Setting: Freemont Apartments, Unit 211, Later that day

Seth did not need any hope to know that Sarah was alive. He knew she was. He knew not only that she was alive, but where she is. She was where he had been.

It all started when Sarah mentioned her final two wishes.

"I wish, one, that we are put in situations where neither the Government, nor the Cartel, can harm myself or my family. Furthermore, I wish to be immortal; first and foremost to one-up all my fake friends from school, but also to make sure that should my fourth wish fail, I will not die."

As Seth had heard those words his smile got wider and wider because he knew that there was only one truly immortal creature, the genie. His plan was coming together.

"I think that will work....so, anytime you are ready.", he had said knowing what would happen next.

It was unfortunate, what happened to her family, but it was side effect of wish four. The genie could not kill off the Cartel members coming to harm Sarah and her relatives because, due to his clairvoyance, he knew they would serve a greater purpose later on after serving their time in prison. Therefore, the only remaining option was to have the perpetrators perform an execution because you cannot harm the dead.

It was truly amazing that a fib had bought him his freedom. And now, he was walking amongst people again, instead of chained in a prison.  
That prison, is now what holds Sarah Flemming. He knows it will, because she did not have his 'get out of jail free' card. 

You see, at the time that he granted Sarah her final two wishes, he made one of his own. For his fifth and final wish, he asked to not be the genie anymore. He'd been the genie for many centuries, after he had used his fourth wish to gain immortality, and freeing the previous genie, and he was tired.

However, he knew the lamp could not go genie-less. And it would never again, because Sarah does not have more wishes. 

She will forever be searching for her more, wishes or otherwise, from the confines of the lamp-a prison, under a brick, forever more.


End file.
